President-elect Rodin to visit campus today

Plans to work on transition President-elect Judith Rodin will visit campus today for a series of introductory briefings and discussions, which are expected to lay the groundwork for her transition to the presidency in June. Rodin, in her first official trip to the University after being confirmed by the University Board of Trustees last month, is expected to meet with key University officials throughout the day. Her agenda currently includes meetings with Interim President Claire Fagin, Interim Provost Marvin Lazerson, the Provost's Search Committee, deans of the University's 12 schools and Faculty Senate leadership. In addition, Rodin will be the guest at a "gracious" dinner party being hosted by Fagin tonight at Eisenlohr, the President's House on Walnut Street. Deans and other senior University officials have been invited to the dinner. Arguably the most important of Rodin's meeting will be the Provost's Search Committee. Rodin will be instrumental in the search process, which will culminate with the announcement of a permanent provost sometime in the next two months. The Search Committee is expected to present Rodin with a slate of finalists, whom she will interview, after reviewing nominations and resumes. Then, the president-elect will select who she wishes to serve as the University's chief academic official. Because many University officials have only shaken hands with the president-elect at her confirmation, most of Rodin's meetings will be introductory and have no set agenda, Executive Assistant to the Provost Linda Koons said yesterday. "We don't have an agenda and I gather it is an opportunity for us to get to know each other," Faculty Senate Chairperson Gerald Porter said. "I expect what we'll do is get acquainted and discuss what the important issues facing this University are." The issues Rodin will talk about with Porter and the rest of the Faculty Senate leadership will likely include decreased federal research support and undergraduate education, Porter said. Rodin's meetings are the first step in her transition to the presidency. A transition team, which is currently compiling key information and statistics about the University, is being run out of the University Secretary's office. The transition team is being headed by Sherrill Rosoff, staff coordinator for the consultative committee for the selection of a president, and University Secretary Barbara Stevens. Rodin, currently Provost at Yale University, will become the first female Ivy League president.Newspaper theft bill could be law in Md. By DANIEL GINGISS Daily Pennsylvanian Staff Writer The fate of future newspaper confiscators is in the hands of the Maryland legislature. Two bills have been introduced -- one in the state's Senate and one in its House of Representatives -- which, if passed, would make newspaper theft illegal in the state of Maryland. Maryland Senate Bill #183 defines its purpose partially as "prohibiting the theft of certain newspapers by individuals possessing a certain intent; [and] establishing certain penalties." If convicted of stealing newspapers, a person would be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500 or imprisonment for up to 18 months, or both, according to the bill. The bill defines a "newspaper" as "any periodical that is distributed on a complimentary or compensatory basis." The bills were introduced after several incidents in Maryland where newspapers were stolen. One such incident was the taking of more than 10,000 copies of the University of Maryland Diamondback last November. Maryland senior Drew Weaver, editor-in-chief of the Diamondback, said he testified yesterday in front of the State Senate in support of the bill. "All these people were there to voice their support for the law," he said. "There was no one there opposing -- I can't image anyone coming to say they want to protect their right to steal newspapers." Weaver said he hopes the bill will become law, "so that all the attorneys and judges from border to border will understand that you can't take newspapers and say that it's okay." Lee Levine, attorney for the Diamondback and for The Daily Pennsylvanian, said last night that district attorneys from several Maryland counties have all interpreted the current law differently. "Clearly somebody doesn't get it, to the extent that new legislation will remove any doubt," Levine said. "I think the legislators think it's necessary to clarify the intent of existing law." University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said last night he agreed that the bill is probably being introduced only for the sake of clarity in the law. "The interpretation of the application of the law was not as clear-cut as they had hoped," he said. "What they are trying to do is write a piece of legislation that will now be more? applicable." "A theft is a theft whether it is a newspaper or anything else -- it is illegal and it should be treated as a crime," he added. Kuprevich, who was contacted by the University of Maryland Public Safety Department after the Diamondback incident, said he was not sure if a similar law would be necessary in Pennsylvania. Interim President Claire Fagin echoed Kuprevich's statement last night, saying that regardless of state law, the University has a strong anti-theft policy in place. "Our own rules at this point are very clear," she said. "They may not discuss what the actual punishments are, but they are a lot more clear than before [last April's DP] confiscation."